The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken a significant step in protecting consumer privacy by reaching settlements with two data brokers, Gravy Analytics and Mobilewalla, who were accused of unlawfully collecting and selling sensitive location data. The data brokers, which track and profit from personal information, allegedly sold millions of data points revealing people’s movements near sensitive locations such as healthcare facilities, military bases, and places of worship. These actions, carried out without consumer consent, have raised serious concerns about privacy rights in the digital age.
Gravy Analytics, along with its subsidiary Venntel, was found to be gathering and selling location data without obtaining proper consent from the individuals it tracked. The company also faced accusations of selling sensitive information about people’s medical, political, and religious decisions, which were inferred from their location data. The FTC alleged that Gravy continued to use this data even after it was aware that consumers had not given informed consent for its sale.
Mobilewalla, another data broker, was similarly accused of selling sensitive location data that could identify individuals and their private addresses. The company obtained much of this data from real-time bidding exchanges and third-party aggregators, leaving consumers unaware that their personal information was being collected and sold. The FTC also highlighted Mobilewalla’s failure to anonymize this data, which violated privacy protections for consumers.
As part of the settlements, both Gravy Analytics and Mobilewalla are prohibited from collecting sensitive location data in the future and must delete the data they have already gathered. Additionally, they are required to establish robust data protection programs that prevent the use, sale, or transfer of consumers’ visits to sensitive locations. This action marks an important step toward enhancing privacy safeguards for Americans, particularly as the Biden administration takes further steps to regulate the practices of data brokers in response to growing concerns over consumer data exploitation.
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